A one-way ticket, yeah

With barely a decade of professionally released music under his belt, Zach Hill has managed to drum for more than 60 LPs, EPs, splits and compilations.

The quantity of his work belies its quality. Hill is no rent-a-drummer. His inventive, aggressive approach to his craft has made him arguably the best drummer working today, and none of his projects highlight his talents more than Hella.

“Tripper,” the group’s first effort since 2007’s “There’s No 666 in Outer Space,” returns to the all-instrumental sound of its early career. Hill’s always-excellent drumming is as prominent as it’s ever been in this stripped-down context, but following the densely layered brilliance of “Outer Space,” “Tripper” seems to be missing something.

Much like the Mars Volta when they followed “Amputechture” with “The Bedlam in Goliath,” Hella has replaced long-form, avant-garde expansiveness with sharp, concentrated bursts of chaos.

The result is the most furious Hella record but far from the most interesting one. What could have been another art rock masterpiece is instead a mere showcase for its players’ formidable skills.